Picture the Statue of Liberty. Imagine her holding a sign that said: CLOSED!

How would that make you feel? Angry, frustrated, ready to make a sign and join a protest?

Here’s a way to help the Chestnut Hill Interfaith Action Welcome Team resettle a family of seven newcomers from Afghanistan right now with your generous donation.

The father of these new neighbors of ours – we’ll call him Saleem – worked in logistics for a company that supported U.S. Forces. When the country fell to the Taliban, Saleem’s family was continually harassed. The family’s young daughter was unable to continue her education since schooling for girls was outlawed.

In a future looming with danger, the parents knew they had to flee. This family is one of the rare lucky ones.

Including his now 14-year-old daughter, Saleem and his wife have a total of five children: three adult sons (20, 19, and 18), and an 8-year-old boy.

Because of Saleem’s service to our country, the family was accepted into the United States with Special Immigrant Visas, making them legal permanent residents entitled to Social Security cards and Green cards.

Guiding and supporting the family toward self-sufficiency is the Chestnut Hill Interfaith Action Welcome Team – which is composed of volunteers from the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, with assistance from other faith communities.

Our team is providing housing, groceries, and the necessities of everyday life, health and social benefits, health care, ESL lessons, jobs, school registration for the two youngest, connection to familiar cultural groups, along with support for integrating into American society. This campaign will support our efforts until they are able to find jobs and support themselves, which they are very eager to do.

Clearly, this is going to be a long process — likely stretching beyond the six months of support to which we're committed.

They helped us; now we need to help them. They’ve seen the worst that humans can do; help us show them the best their fellow humans can offer.

In these troubled times, here is your chance to do something positive to better the lives of this delightful family. This campaign will supplement our efforts with wider community support – support that will be sorely needed.

Please be as generous as you can be. Every dollar is a vote for the values that have sustained and defined this nation since its founding.